Sunday, November 7, 2010

Don't Call It A Come Back...

Ever have those moments where you get a song or phrase from a song stuck in your head. Well if you take away the Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac that I kept hearing in the elevator, the other one stuck in my head from the weekend was LL Cool J's - Momma Said Knock You Out.

Not that those two songs have anything to do with each other, but the one verse that kept coming to mind was Don't Call It A Come Back, I've Been Here For Years.

That would best describe the efforts of the Eastern Illinois football team the last two weeks of the season as the Panthers looked more like the reigning champs of the OVC with nice wins over Austin Peay and Tennessee State, rather than the OVC cellar dwellers from some other contests this year.

The come back against Tennessee State was one of the best in EIU history and while it would probably have meant more had that game been to decide an OVC title, the result will linger in the memories of players on this Panthers team for years to come. Carlos Reyna made one of the biggest came saving hits in recent years - if EIU had been playing at home it most definitely would have been the Porter Auto Body Collision of the Game

So kudos to the Panthers for not giving up the fight and picking up a second straight win. Now a three game win streak to end the season would reap some benefits heading into the recruiting season. A win in the Prairie State Rivarly Game with Illinois State would mean even more.

In some other Saturday news the men's soccer run in the Missouri Valley Conference came to an end as they fell to Drake, 2-1, in the final regular-season game. Rugby ended its regular season with another blow out win, this time over Missouri. Men's basketball had four players score in double figures as they rolled in an exhibition win over Illinois College.

Volleyball picked up a 3-0 win over Tennessee State as they are still in contention for the final OVC Tournament berth. EIU faces Tennessee Tech on Friday evening with both teams sitting at 7-9 in the OVC.